NEWNAN, Ga. — A Virginia man has pleaded guilty to trafficking large quantities of fentanyl, cocaine, heroin, and other narcotics through Georgia, while his co-defendant admitted to concealing a felony, federal prosecutors announced Thursday.
Oscar Dominick Waters, 39, of Roanoke, Virginia, and Keisha Jackson-Murchison, 36, of Springfield, Massachusetts, were stopped by police on September 18, 2023, for speeding on Interstate 85 in Grantville, Georgia. According to court records, Jackson-Murchison was driving, and Waters, a convicted drug dealer, was in the passenger seat.
During an initial vehicle search, officers found bags of marijuana. As police attempted to detain Waters, Jackson-Murchison fled barefoot across three lanes of traffic with a backpack and duffel bag. She disappeared into nearby woods but was located by Coweta County Sheriff’s officers and a K-9 unit. The bags contained nearly three kilograms of fentanyl, over 2.5 kilograms of powder cocaine, crack cocaine, heroin, and additional marijuana. Investigators determined that Waters had hired Jackson-Murchison to transport him and the drugs to Alabama for distribution.
Waters and Jackson-Murchison are scheduled to be sentenced on February 25, 2025, before Chief U.S. District Judge Timothy C. Batten, Sr. Waters faces significant penalties for drug trafficking, while Jackson-Murchison is charged with felony concealment.
The case, part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Grantville Police Department, Coweta County Sheriff’s Office, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Theodore S. Hertzberg and Noah R. Schechtman.
Federal authorities highlight the dangers posed by trafficking in deadly drugs like fentanyl, emphasizing their ongoing commitment to combating the narcotics crisis.